Causes of insecure attachment

Major causes of insecure attachments include:

• physical neglect — poor nutrition, insufficient exercise, and neglect of medical issues
• emotional neglect or emotional abuse — little attention paid to child, little or no effort to understand child’s feelings; verbal abuse
• physical or sexual abuse — physical injury or violation
• separation from primary caregiver — due to illness, death, divorce, adoption
• inconsistency in primary caregiver — succession of nannies or staff at daycare centers
• frequent moves or placements — constantly changing environment; for example: children who spend their early years in orphanages or who move from foster home to foster home
• traumatic experiences — serious illnesses or accidents
• maternal depression — withdrawal from maternal role due to isolation, lack of social support, hormonal problems
• maternal addiction to alcohol or other drugs — maternal responsiveness reduced by mind-altering substances
• young or inexperienced mother — lacks parenting skills